Silver Linings & Cherry Blossoms
by Leafshadow2
Summary: Kakashi had always found lightning to be mesmerizing, but he found that he couldn't pay any attention to the storm taking place while Sakura was dancing in the rain. (Various prompts from KakaSaku Month 2018)
1. Rainstorm

Kakashi took another deep breath, pulling in another intoxicating lungful of rain-soaked earth. The rhythmic pitter-patter of rain striking the awning above him was soothing, and it was moments like these that he treasured most. The seemingly insignificant memories that he would cling to on his darkest nights. He'd always found lightning to be mesmerizing—likely due to his chakra nature—but he found that he couldn't pay any attention to the storm taking place while Sakura was dancing in the rain.

After several sweltering weeks of barely tolerable humidity, the darkened skies had finally decided to let loose torrents of cooling rain. Yet, he found her delighted reaction to be far more interesting than the weather. Sakura was nothing less than utterly captivating as she raised her arms to the sky and spun around, laughing. Kakashi could have watched her for an eternity, her light giggles music to his ears. Eventually, she stilled, arms lowering as her head fell back, eyes closed. Occasional flashes of lightning bathed her joyous expression in soft light as rain darkened her hair from light pink to rich magenta, a slight grin curling her lips.

Sakura took his breath away.

Whenever she turned that gentle smile of hers in his direction, eyes full of delight, it always felt like the first rain that ended a drought, bringing a bloom of wildflowers to parched earth, much like she had brought color back to his own life. When Sakura was mad, it reminded him of a lightning storm. Flashes of brilliant anger. A single strike that wrought destruction, the same way that the sudden flicker of lightning brought about wildfires or scorched earth. And when she fought—all destructive and lethal grace, deadly beauty—it took his breath away.

Just then she turned to him with a beckoning smile, and his feet led him to Sakura without thought.

After all, Kakashi had always been fond of storms.


	2. 3 AM

AN: On the off chance that anyone is interested, I'll be working on the companion piece for As Luck Would Have It soon, I just needed to get these one-shots out of the way first. Anyway, hope you enjoy. I do not own the characters.

* * *

It was late.

Incredibly late or incredibly early, depending on how one looked at it. The chorus sung by nocturnal insects was the only noise that broke the peaceful silence of the night. Kakashi continued his sedate pace even as the green gates of Konoha gradually came into view. He took his time enjoying the calm of the night, oddly reluctant to return after his latest mission. Despite having been away for a few months, the usual eagerness that accompanied the trip back to the village was absent. Instead, anticipation and unease warred within him as Kakashi checked in at the gates with the shinobi unfortunate enough to be stuck on the graveyard shift.

Exhaustion wore at him, making each step through the empty streets difficult. He was well past the point of being tired and simply wanted to go home. Yet, the thought of his cold, empty apartment was far from appealing. A memory of a warm smile and delighted laughter flashed through his mind, and Kakashi knew in that instant that leaving had accomplished nothing. Running from his problems had never worked in the past, so it shouldn't have come as a surprise that it had failed in this instance as well.

Sighing, he slouched down onto a nearby park bench. He couldn't help but feel utterly weary as a lazy breeze dislodged cherry blossoms from the flowering trees around him. One of the pale petals landed on his sleeve, capturing his attention. His thoughts invariably turned to a certain pink-haired kunoichi against his will as he stared at her namesake. Naturally, that led to the memory of the last time he had seen her.

Several months ago, he had gone to her apartment without thinking, figuring that they would share dinner while discussing their days, as per their unspoken routine. Along the way he casually picked a wild flower that he didn't know the name of, figuring that Sakura would enjoy its presence in the empty vase that rested on her kitchen table. It hadn't taken long to reach her apartment, and he had soon found himself outside her building. He had perched on her windowsill, like he had hundreds of other times, but when he glanced inside, everything inside him froze and he was left shaken to his core.

The scant inches of space between her and Sasuke as they sat on the couch spoke volumes. The Copy Nin had glanced down at the flower that he had been idly twirling in his fingers only moments earlier.

 _What are you doing? Why would she ever want you?_ he silently asked of himself, letting go of the stem within his grasp.

Unable to resist tormenting himself further, he gazed through the window again. All he noticed was the casual intimacy the Uchiha displayed as his hand rested on her knee. It jolted something inside of him, and Kakashi was gone before either of them could sense his presence. The only indication that he had ever been there was a lone flower laying sadly on the ground.

The sight of them together had hurt in a way that Kakashi didn't realize that he could hurt. _That_ terrified the hell out of him, considering that he and Sakura weren't together, nor had they ever been. He had done the only thing that seemed reasonable at the time: he went straight to the Hokage and demanded a long term solo mission.

Now that he had had returned from that very assignment, he still couldn't seem to erase the image that had been haunting him all this time. Kakashi was exhausted and covered in dust from the road, yet all he wanted was to see her.

* * *

With a frustrated sigh, Sakura yanked her blanket closer as she twisted in her bed. A few seconds later, she turned onto the side she had been on previously. Despite how soft her mattress was, it could have been the hard ground for all that she couldn't seem to get comfortable. Eyes burning with fatigue, she glanced at the red, glowing numbers on the alarm clock resting on the nightstand.

 _3:00 AM._

With another sigh, she gave up on her futile attempt at sleep. Tossing back the covers, Sakura got out of bed. Drawn by the pale moonlight entering through the glass, she went over to the window, leaning against the frame.

She knew why she couldn't sleep. Kakashi was due to arrive at any time. She stared out the window at the empty streets below, wondering where he was.

How he was.

Why she couldn't seem to stop thinking about him.

Unfortunately, the medic knew the answer to the last question. She hadn't seen the silver-haired shinobi in a while, not since coming to a realization courtesy of Sasuke. The Uchiha had visited her a few months ago, extending a tentative offer to join him in his travels. Despite suddenly being handed all of her girlhood dreams on a silver platter, Sakura couldn't drudge up any desire to trail after him again. Not when everything she could possibly want and more was in Konoha.

Between her position as head medic at the hospital and regular missions, her beloved career was more fulfilling than ever. Her family, the rest of the Rookie Nine, and the other shinobi that she considered friends were all here. Not to mention that an image of Kakashi had flashed in her mind when she considered the future.

Without any hesitation, she had sincerely told Sasuke, "I'm happy here in Konoha, but please be careful out there."

It had felt as though a huge weight had been lifted from her.

Coming to a decision after reminiscing, she rolled out of bed to tug on the first set of clean clothes that she could find before leaving her apartment. As she walked the deserted streets, the medic decided that it would be easy to use the excuse of showing up at such an ungodly in order to tend to any injuries that Kakashi might have acquired. Without conscious thought, Sakura's feet guided her along the longer route that she rarely took to reach Kakashi's apartment. The moment that a small park came into view, she was glad that they had.

A flash of silver caught her attention, drawing her gaze to the man sitting hunched over on a bench, head cradled between his hands as his elbows rested on his knees. Her steps quickened as she made her way over to him, sitting beside the Copy Nin as he sat up. Immediately and without a word, she rested both hands on his arm, circulating chakra through him without a word, confirming that he wasn't on the verge of collapse and healing the minor cuts and scrapes that he had acquired.

They sat there in silence for a few minutes, taking in the disheveled appearance of one another. The medic knew that her hair was a tangled mess of pink as she wore mismatched scrub bottoms and an old, faded training shirt. Kakashi's uniform was covered in streaks of dirt and mud, the result of his return trip back to Konoha

The harsh glare from the streetlight washed out his already light complexion, making him seem even more pale than usual and making the dark circles under his eyes all the more prominent. Regardless, the sight of him made the tightly wound coil of worry within her loosen. The heat of his clothed skin under her palms was solid proof that he had made it back to Konoha safely and in one piece.

* * *

He had been doing his best for the past few months to avoid the one person he wanted to see most, but Sakura's presence had foiled that plan while simultaneously putting an end to the churning of his thoughts. Kakashi found that he was the opposite of disappointed. She was, after all, the person that he was closest to in the world. Trying to ignore that had been a monumental mistake.

Softly, they broke the silence of the quiet hour. "I missed you," they said at the same time.

The faintest hint of a smile took up residence beneath his mask. From the corner of his eye, Kakashi could see the medic's own, undisguised grin. It continued to warm something in his chest as they gazed out at the dark scenery.

"I'm just so tired," he admitted quietly, the words forming without him meaning to. He was tired of running. Tired of trying to ignore the attraction he felt for her. Tired of the doubt that swirled angrily in his mind. " _So_ tired."

"Then rest here a moment."

Sakura placed a hand on his arm, and he covered it with his own, twining their fingers together. It was the only point of contact between them. They sat there, side by side, in comfortable silence with unspoken understanding between them.

A gentle, warm breeze played with strands of her pink hair. Moths flew around the nearest streetlight, mesmerized by the glow. He couldn't help but sympathize with them, feeling as though the woman beside him were his own personal light. It was just the two of them, the late hour lending itself to the impression that no one else existed.

Kakashi could have stayed forever in that moment.


	3. Healing

AN: Angst ahead. I do not own the characters.

* * *

It was funny.

He had long ago resigned himself to the fate of dying on a battlefield on the outskirts of some nation or while defending his village. He had always figured that that was how he would go. In the past, Kakashi had been more than ready to join those that had gone before him, to be reunited at last.

But now, as he lay on the muddy ground, the chill of the earth seeping into him, he found it unbearably lonely. His blood mingled with the rain, staining the earth red. He was soaking wet, and it added to the dismal state of things. Dread began to fill him at the thought of slipping away into a permanent sleep while the sounds of fighting surrounded him, his body unlikely to ever be returned to the village.

 _I don't want to die alone_.

He heard a frantic voice shout his name. A familiar one that brought comfort along with it. "Don't you dare die on me, Kakashi," she ordered sternly even as her voice wavered. "I'll never forgive you if you do."

He fought to open his eyes, struggling against the weight of his eyelids. Blinking away the rain, he blearily stared up at her. When he saw the glow of her medical jutsu, he couldn't find the energy to tell her that it was no use. The green light should have dulled the pain of his injury, but he hadn't been able to feel anything for a while now. "You can't do this to me," she whispered brokenly.

Tears slipped from her face to land on his own, mixing with the rain, as she cradled his head in her lap. A cut marred her cheek, a bit of red dribbling from it. He wished that he could cup the soft skin there at least one last time. Pink hair clung to her skin, plastered there by rain. The dainty, innocent color of it seemed incongruous with the violence all around them. Still, as she met his eyes with a brilliant green gaze, speaking words that he could no longer hear, he couldn't help but think that she looked like an angel. A benevolent attendant, there to ease him in his last moments of clawing panic that suffocated him when he realized that he would die alone.

The faintest of smiles tugged at his lips as he gazed at her, before his eyes slipped closed.

Maybe this wouldn't be as bad as he had imagined.


End file.
